Ron Turner, the now former offensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears, told a Chicago radio station Wednesday that the expectations were too high for quarterback Jay Cutler this season.

“He came into a difficult situation with the expectations as high as they were,” Turner told ESPN 1000. “As soon as he got here everybody said ‘Jay Cutler is here,’ and now the expectations went through the roof. I don’t know if that was realistic with the issues we had on the offensive line and with the young receivers. We all knew it was going to take some time. I’m not sure anybody else did. I think there was a huge weight on his shoulders to come in and really produce at a high level.”

Turner was the one who paid most for Cutler’s struggles this season. Turner was fired at the end of the season.

I’ll go ahead and say the expecations were about right, and at least partially manufactured by the Bears. Afterall, the Bears were the ones who sent the Broncos TWO first-round draft picks (among others) AND a starting quarterback in exchange for Cutler. And it wasn’t like anyone was trying to reign Cutler in during the offseason or keep his arrival low-key and pressure-free. The issues Turner spoke of with the offensive line and the receivers — everyone knew about those the day Cutler arrived in April, so it just sounds like sour grapes to be using them as an excuse in January.